## Sforno on Leviticus Chapter 21

###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:1:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:1:1)

**וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים.** מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר לְמַעְלָה לְהָבִין וּלְהוֹרוֹת כָּל מִינֵי הַטֻּמְאוֹת, וּלְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה לַטְּמֵאָה וּבֵין הָעוֹף הַטָּמֵא לַטָּהוֹר, כִּי זֶה יָאוֹת יוֹתֵר לַכֹּהֲנִים, כַּאֲמָרוֹ (ויקרא י:י-יא) ״וּלְהַבְדִּיל בֵּין הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבֵין הַחֹל וּבֵין הַטָּמֵא וּבֵין הַטָּהוֹר וּלְהוֹרֹת״.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ויאמר ה' אל משה אמור אל הכהנים, what has been written earlier so that they will understand and instruct each other in the various categories of ritual impurities and contaminations, including the difference between ritually pure domestic beasts and birds, for these are the aspects of foremost concern to the priests on a regular basis as we read in 10,10-11 ולהבדיל בין הקדש ובין החול, ובין הטמא ובין הטהור ולהורות, “and to separate the sacred from the profane, and the ritually impure, and between the ritually contaminated, and to teach these values.”


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:1:2
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:1:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:1:2)

**וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם.** שֶׁצְּרִיכִים הֵם לִיזָּהֵר בִּלְעֲדֵי אֵלֶּה גַּם מִטֻּמְאַת מֵת וְחִלּוּל הַזֶּרַע, שֶׁהֵם מַעֲלוֹת קְדֻשָּה לַכֹּהֲנִים בִּלְבָד.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ואמרת אליהם, that the need to exercise caution in addition to these categories of the ritually pure and that which is not, also in regard to impurity conferred through contact with the dead as well as through desecrating their seed.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:1:3
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:1:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:1:3)

**לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו.** שׁוּם אֶחָד מֵהַכֹּהֲנִים לֹא יִטַּמָּא לְנֶפֶשׁ בְּעַמָּיו, שֶׁהוּא כָּל מֵת מִן הֶהָמוֹן שֶׁאֵינוֹ קְרוֹבוֹ, אֶלָּא שֶׁהוּא מֵעַמּוֹ בִּלְבַד.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו, no one of the priestly caste must ritually defile himself through dead bodies belonging to his nation., i. e. any dead person who is not one of the seven family members for whose sake he is to ritually contaminate himself to arrange for their burial, etc.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:4:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:4:1)

**לֹא יִטַּמָּא בַּעַל בְּעַמָּיו לְהֵחַלּוֹ.** וְהַטַּעַם שֶׁלֹּא יִטַּמָּא הַכֹּהֵן כִּי אִם לִקְרוֹבָיו, הוּא כִּי אָמְנָם הַכֹּהֵן הוּא בַּעַל בְּעַמָּיו לְהָבִין וּלְהוֹרוֹת, כִּי ״שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ דַעַת וְתוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ״ (מלאכי ב:ז), וְרָאוּי לְאִישׁ כָּזֶה לִנְהוֹג נְשִׂיאוּת כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלִשְׁתַּמְעָן מִלֵּיהּ, וְאֵין רָאוּי שֶׁיְּחַלֵּל הֲכָנָתוֹ אֶל מִקְדָּשׁ וְקָדָשָׁיו כְּדֵי לְכַבֵּד הַמֵּתִים הַבִּלְתִּי קְרוֹבִים, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין מז) שֶׁהַקְּבוּרָה וְהַהֶסְפֵּד לַמֵּת הֵם יְקָרָא דְּשַׁכְבֵי. אָמְנָם לִקְרוֹבִים הִתִּיר לְהִטַּמֵּא, כִּי כְּבוֹדָם הוּא כְּבוֹדוֹ.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
לא יטמא בעל בעמיו להחלו, the reason why a priest is not to defile himself through contact with the dead except those of his next of kin, is that also the priest is indeed a בעל בעמיו, a distinguished, highly placed member of his people, it is his task to understand and teach these laws as we know from Maleachi 2,7 “for the lips of the priest are meant to guard knowledge, and Torah and the people will enquire concerning these from his mouth.” This makes him a person to be treated in the manner one treats a politically highly placed person, a king. Seeing he is supposed to be ever ready to serve the King of Kings, in His Temple, it is not appropriate for such a person to desecrate his status even temporarily in order to participate in the burial rites of ordinary people. According to our sages in Sanhedrin 47 the prime purpose of burying and eulogising the dead is to render honour to them. This conflicts with the honour the priests have to accord to G’d on an ongoing basis. However, the Torah exempts the priests from this restriction for burial and eulogising of near relatives from this rule. [some of the last line is my own wording, though it corresponds to the thoughts expressed by the author. Ed.]


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:5:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:5:1)

**לֹא יִקְרְחוּ.** אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהִתַּרְתִּי לָהֶם הַטֻּמְאָה עַל מֵתֵיהֶם לִכְבוֹדָם, לֹא הִתַּרְתִּי שֶׁיַּפְלִיגוּ בַּאֲבֵלוּת לְהַרְבּוֹת כְּבוֹד מֵתֵיהֶם עַל יְדֵי קָרְחָה וּשְׂרִיטָה, כְּאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: ״מַה לְּהַלָּן עַל מֵת, אַף כָּאן עַל מֵת״ (תורת כהנים א:ג).

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
לא יקרחו, even though I have permitted the priests to defile themselves to bury their close relatives and express mourning rites, I have not permitted them to exaggerate such displays of mourning to include the making of bald spots on their heads and to make incisions in their flesh. As our sages phrased it, “just as the previous verses dealt with the dead, so the verses in front of us deal with honour for the dead.”(Torat Kohanim 1,3)


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:6:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:6:1)

**וְלֹא יְחַלְּלוּ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיהֶם.** וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכָּל אֵלֶּה לִכְבוֹדוֹ, אֵין לוֹ רְשׁוּת לִמְחוֹל עַל כְּבוֹדוֹ, כִּי אָמְנָם הַכַּוָּנָה בִּכְבוֹד הַכֹּהֲנִים הוּא לִכְבוֹד הָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ, וּכְשֶׁיִּמְחֲלוּ עַל זֶה יְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שְׁמוֹ.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ולא יחללו שם אלוקיהם, even though all of the aforementioned were expressions of grief over the loss of relatives, the priest is not permitted to disregard the dignity which his status as priest imposes upon him. Even though the priests, no doubt, mean to honour G’d in what they are doing, when they disregard the restrictions their status imposes upon them, they indirectly desecrate the name of the Lord.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:7:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:7:1)

**כִּי קָדוֹשׁ הוּא לֵאלֹהָיו.** כָּל זֶרַע הַכְּהֻנָּה שֶׁהוּא בָּעֵל בְּעַמָּיו הוּא מְקֻדָּשׁ לֵאלֹהָיו, וְאִם יִשָּׂא אֶת אֵלֶּה הַנָּשִׁים יְחַלֵּל אֶת כְּבוֹדוֹ וְזַרְעוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה רָאוּי לְאוֹתָהּ הַקְּדֻשָּׁה.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
כי קדוש הוא לאלוקיו, every member of the tribe is by definition בעל בעמיו, an especially distinguished personage among his people. If he were to marry someone guilty of or unfortunate enough to belong to the categories mentioned in this verse, the husband would no longer be entitled to the sanctity his birthright had not only entitled him to but had expected him to preserve.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:12:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:12:1)

**וּמִן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ לֹא יֵצֵא.** בִּשְׁבִיל הַמֵּת.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ומן המקדש לא יצא. According to Rabbi Saadyah gaon, this means primarily joining the funeral cortege which requires leaving the holy precincts.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:12:2
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:12:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:12:2)

**וְלֹא יְחַלֵּל אֵת מִקְדַּשׁ אֱלֹהָיו.** שֶׁיֵּרָאֶה שֶׁהוּא מַחֲשִׁיב יוֹתֵר כְּבוֹד הַמֵּת מִכְּבוֹד הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְהַקֹּדֶשׁ שֶׁנִּתְּנָה לוֹ.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ולא יחלל את מקדש אלוקיו, so as not to desecrate the Temple of his G’d, as people would conclude that giving honour to the dead is more important than to remain within the sphere of G’d’s immediate presence, something he enjoys as the exceptional privilege of being exposed to on an ongoing basis.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:18:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:18:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:18:1)

**כִּי כָל אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ מוּם לֹא יִקְרָב.** לַעֲמוֹד לְשָׁרֵת בְּשֵׁם ה׳, כָּעִנְיָן ״כִּי אֵין לָבוֹא אֶל שַׁעַר הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּלְבוּשׁ שָׂק״ (אסתר ד:ב).

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
כי כל איש אשר בו מום לא יקרב, to stand and perform the Temple service. The principle is familiar to us from when Esther was aghast when her uncle Mordechai appeared wearing sackcloth in the courtyard of the Royal Palace (Esther 4,2).


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:18:2
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:18:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:18:2)

**אִישׁ עִוֵּר.** וְהֵם הַמּוּמִים אֲשֶׁר בַּתּוֹלָדָה מֵחֶסְרוֹן הַחֹמֶר אוֹ הַכֹּחַ הַמְצַיֵּר.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:19:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:19:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:19:1)

**שֶׁבֶר רָגֶל.** וְהֵם מוּמִים קוֹרִים מִסִּבּוֹת מִחוּץ לַגּוּף.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
שבר רגל, an example of blemishes not caused by the priests’ bodies themselves.


###### Sforno on Leviticus 21:20:1
[Sforno on Leviticus 21:20:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Leviticus/r/21:20:1)

**אוֹ גִבֵּן.** וְהֵם מוּמִים בָּאִים מִמִּקְרֶה בְּלַחוּת הַגּוּף וְהֶפְסֵדָם.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
או גבן, (eyebrow) an example of blemishes caused by the body being deficient in some of its essential moisture.